1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of a process and a device for producing a clutch friction plate by bonding a plurality of friction material segments to an annular flat face of an annular core plate so that oil channels are formed between the friction material segments.
2. Background Art
Conventionally, for production of this type of friction plate, an arrangement in which a plurality of friction material segments obtained by cutting a band-shaped friction material at intervals in its longitudinal direction are bonded to an annular core plate (e.g., Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-68491) and an arrangement in which a plurality of friction material segments obtained by punching out from a band-shaped friction material are bonded to an annular core plate (e.g., Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-68494) are known.
However, in the arrangement disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-68491, the friction material segments are obtained by cutting them in turn from the leading edge of the band-shaped friction material, which is fed in a direction along a tangent to the annular core plate, and are then bonded to the annular core plate, resulting in a low degree of freedom in the shape of the oil channels formed between the friction material segments. In the arrangement disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-68494, the ratio of the area occupied by the friction material segments so obtained relative to the area of the band-shaped friction material required, that is, the yield, is low.